Australia Samantha Murphy, 51, last seen leaving her property to go for a run in the Canadian State Forest, Ballarat, 4 Feb 2024 *Arrest* #13

[Cedars]

What Shane Patton said was that the police believed the murder was "a deliberate act" and "not a hit and run".

However, he did not confirm whether police believed a car or drugs and alcohol had been involved. “I'm not going to speculate on any other details about the death other than it was deliberate. He's been charged with murder, so by its definition, we're saying this was a deliberate act."

I’d say they have analysed the vehicle's data recorders to gather info on factors such as the cars location, movements, speed, braking, skidding, damage etc to compare it with evidence and debris from the crime scene/s, and to provide insight into driver behaviour including impairment, and to corroborate or refute witness testimony and any alibi. All of that and more.

I think the “not a hit and run” clue threw us all a curve ball. Did he deliberately chase Sam down in his car as evidenced in the biometric data from her phone or watch which may have shown her walking or jogging steadily before it rapidly and erratically accelerated with her breath and heart rates suddenly spiking and then suddenly stopping altogether? Nonetheless, the ute has always appeared to be very significant.

Police to allege Samantha Murphy was murdered in 'deliberate act'

www.9news.com.au

I agree.

IMO, the officer didn't want to explain anything, but left a big clue in saying 'not a hit and run'. Why would he say just that, but not rule out all the other things it was not....'not a shooting, not a stabbing, not an ax attack, not poisoning....'

IMO because it DID involve her being hit by a vehicle, but deliberately, not by accident and then covering it up.

It is not all that uncommon for people to be deliberately run over. The perp uses their vehicle as a weapon to cause death.

 

[Dotta]

I agree.

IMO, the officer didn't want to explain anything, but left a big clue in saying 'not a hit and run'. Why would he say just that, but not rule out all the other things it was not....'not a shooting, not a stabbing, not an ax attack, not poisoning....'

IMO because it DID involve her being hit by a vehicle, but deliberately, not by accident and then covering it up.

It is not all that uncommon for people to be deliberately run over. The perp uses their vehicle as a weapon to cause death.

This is my theory too.

Allegedly
drunken but deliberate chasing a woman by car.
Like hunting a female for sick kicks.

JMO

 

[Cedars]

This is my theory too.

Allegedly
drunken but deliberate chasing a woman by car.
Like hunting a female for sick kicks.

JMO

Yes. IMO the evidence probably shows the driver had enough control over the vehicle to - just for an example - avoid striking trees by steering around them. That would prove the driver was not impaired enough to claim it was an accident.

Also removing and concealing the body goes far beyond the 'run' in hit and run, and, again, requires a clear (and guilty) mind, not seriously impaired.

 

[Rocket333]

Yes. IMO the evidence probably shows the driver had enough control over the vehicle to - just for an example - avoid striking trees by steering around them. That would prove the driver was not impaired enough to claim it was an accident.

Factoring in also that 3 months prior on 01/10/2023 the accused crashed his motorbike into a tree, sustained significant injuries, was found to be under the influence of MDMA, and had a blood alcohol level of 0.148. (I wouldn’t be able to even sit on a bike in that condition, let alone ride it for a while).

Maybe trees were struck, bush was trampled, things were damaged and debris was detected, and he was in fact driving impaired at the time. Doesn’t get him off the hook if his mapped actions show sufficient cognitive & motor function. What’s “impaired” driving look like for him?

Man accused of Samantha Murphy's murder admits to driving offences

www.9news.com.au

 

[Trooper]

Factoring in also that 3 months prior on 01/10/2023 the accused crashed his motorbike into a tree, sustained significant injuries, was found to be under the influence of MDMA, and had a blood alcohol level of 0.148. (I wouldn’t be able to even sit on a bike in that condition, let alone ride it for a while).

Maybe trees were struck, bush was trampled, things were damaged and debris was detected, and he was in fact driving impaired at the time. Doesn’t get him off the hook if his mapped actions show sufficient cognitive & motor function. What’s “impaired” driving look like for him?

Man accused of Samantha Murphy's murder admits to driving offences

www.9news.com.au

What we don't know , and it's a big chasm to leap over, is.. what was Stephenson doing at Mt Clear that morning? Breaking it down into little gulps.. Scotsburn is where he was residing, Mt Clear is where his parents reside, and Mt Clear, in no uncertain terms, is where the murder took place.

We know that Ms Murphy was jogging along the Scotsburn / Mt Clear road, but we don't know if she veered off the main road and took the route thru Buninyong and up the Mt Helen track to Mt Clear, either way, she arrived at Mt Clear, approx 7.55,, When did he arrive there? how did he get there , one presumes from Scotsburn, which is 14.4 klms away, he had no priors as a jogger himself.. what was he doing there at 8.00am /7.50 am Sunday morning?

It is about a 15 minute drive in light conditions for him, Scotsburn- Mt Clear, which would apply to early Sunday morning, perhaps...

How did he get there from Scotsburn? motor cycle? his car? his work car? her car? scooter? How did he get back? in what manner did he transport the body of a grown woman, no easy thing to do??

Mathew Sorrel will track it all down for us...... he tracked Karen Chectuti's killer all over north east Victoria, and cornered the bloke AND his offsider, AND his silly mother as a terrific bonus.

 

[drsleuth]

What we don't know , and it's a big chasm to leap over, is.. what was Stephenson doing at Mt Clear that morning? Breaking it down into little gulps.. Scotsburn is where he was residing, Mt Clear is where his parents reside, and Mt Clear, in no uncertain terms, is where the murder took place.

We know that Ms Murphy was jogging along the Scotsburn / Mt Clear road, but we don't know if she veered off the main road and took the route thru Buninyong and up the Mt Helen track to Mt Clear, either way, she arrived at Mt Clear, approx 7.55,, When did he arrive there? how did he get there , one presumes from Scotsburn, which is 14.4 klms away, he had no priors as a jogger himself.. what was he doing there at 8.00am /7.50 am Sunday morning?

It is about a 15 minute drive in light conditions, which would apply to early Sunday morning, perhaps...

How did he get there from Scotsburn? motor cycle? his car? his work car? her car? scooter? How did he get back? in what manner did he transport the body of a grown woman, no easy thing to do??

Mathew Sorrel will track it all down for us...... he tracked Karen Chectuti's killer all over north east Victoria, and cornered the bloke AND his offsider, AND his silly mother as a terrific bonus.

I can't wait to see all the forensic evidence in this case.

I can't think of a case over the past few years where the forensics didn't nail the offender/s.

I just love it, how they put all the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle without a cover picture!

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Factoring in also that 3 months prior on 01/10/2023 the accused crashed his motorbike into a tree, sustained significant injuries, was found to be under the influence of MDMA, and had a blood alcohol level of 0.148. (I wouldn’t be able to even sit on a bike in that condition, let alone ride it for a while).

Maybe trees were struck, bush was trampled, things were damaged and debris was detected, and he was in fact driving impaired at the time. Doesn’t get him off the hook if his mapped actions show sufficient cognitive & motor function. What’s “impaired” driving look like for him?

Man accused of Samantha Murphy's murder admits to driving offences

www.9news.com.au

The only significance of his separate motorbike accident to the murder trial ahead, I see would be the injuries that occurred to him in this accident, which I am sure his legal team will bring up, the accused wouldn't have had the ability to move her around and successfully hide or bury her body, and he's still receiving treatment

Stephenson's lawyer, Moya O'Brien, told the court her client had spent two weeks in hospital after the crash, in which he sustained injuries including a spinal fracture, lacerated spleen, broken pelvis and ribs, and minor head trauma.

Stephenson's lawyer Moya O'Brien told the court then her client still suffered from those injuries, which had seen him return to the hospital while behind bars.



I still think back to when the family believed she'd been abducted by a deranged stalker.....

Police have ruled out Murphy’s death being the result of a hit and run, and believe the alleged murder was an “intentional act”.

Samantha could have been stalked before the final act occurred, watching and knowing when to attack her

It also means the accused has an understanding of forensics procedures to not leave any clues around, and know a lot about forensic evidence and covering his tracks.

Certainly not someone high on drugs or drinking

There are no clues at all, ( that we have been told ) except months later her phone is found in good working condition in a dam

I think If this case was pretty simple, there would be more clues, Samantha would have been found by now and there wouldn't be the extraordinary steps made to look like she's vanished off the face of the Earth.

There has been thought made in her disappearance

I think she was removed from the area quickly. I don't believe she's in there

Police must also have evidence to charge him with murder, but we're not told what the prosecution alleges happened


In November, Mr Stephenson pleaded NOT GUILTY to the charge and elected to fast-track the case to the Supreme Court for trial during a brief hearing in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court. The case was adjourned for a week by Judicial Registrar Tim Freeman and will return to court on March 6

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/samantha-murphy-family-members-of-missing-mum-believe-foul-play-was-involved-in-disappearance/news-story/f02ae1b5afb27699b0f4be04206343d4

Major update on Sam Murphy's alleged killer

The man accused of murdering Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy has learnt when he will finally face justice.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Trooper]

It also means the accused has an understanding of forensics procedures to not leave any clues around, and know a lot about evidence and covering his tracks.
and be a fairly calculating, intelligent person who understands forensic procedures and knows a lot about evidence and covering his tracks.

Certainly not someone high on drugs or drinking

There are no clues at all, ( that we have been told ) except months later her phone is found in good working condition in a dam

I think If this case was pretty simple, there would be more clues, Samantha would have been found by now and there wouldn't be the extraordinary steps made to look like she's vanished off the face of the Earth. There has been thought made in her disappearance

I think she was removed from the area quickly. I don't believe she's in there

edited by me for focus...

the thing is, there is plenty of blokes, and a couple of women in prison as I keyboard here, serving a life sentence , who managed to hide the body, it has never been found to this day, and a lot of them were higher than an elephants eye on god alone knows what, Bradley John Murdoch is proud of his capacity to ingest rubbish, he does not remember even beginning his trek down the Tanami and no one has found Peter Falconio's body to this day.

8, 2016 (Dubois), May 26, 2017 (O'Dempsey)

Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters disappeared from their home in Brisbane in 1974, in what became one of Australia's oldest cold cases. Criminals Vincent O'Dempsey and Garry Dubois were charged with their murders in 1980 but avoided conviction. Years later, both men were charged again and convicted after it came to light that they had boasted of murdering the victims and burying their bodies in bushland. They were suspected to have targeted Barbara McCulkin to prevent her from talking about their role in nightclub bombing

Chris Dawson was convicted of murdering his wife, Lyn Dawson, in a judge-only trial. The prosecution's circumstantial case alleged Dawson murdered her to pursue a relationship with their babysitter, and the judge was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Lynette Dawson died "as a result of a conscious and voluntary act" by Chris Dawson.<>On 2 December 2022, Dawson was sentenced to 24 years in jail, with a non-parole period of 18 years.

Wark, a convicted rapist, abducted 17-year-old Hayley Dodd while she was walking near a property he owned in Badgingarra. A cold case review in 2015 led to evidence linking him to Dodd being found in Wark's car and he was convicted of killing her in 2018. He was given a second trial in 2021, but was convicted again. Again, No Body found.

orothy Davis, Kerry Whelan

Bruce Burrell

Sydney

May 30, 1995 – May 1997

2006

Two women who disappeared after leaving their homes to visit Burrell's wife, and boarding Burrell's car, respectively.

Tegan Lee Lane

Keli Lane

Auburn, NSW

September 12, 1996

December 10, 2010

After the mother attempted to adopt out a child in 1999, DOCS workers uncovered evidence of two previous children one of whom could not be located and notified police. After years of investigation and a coroner's inquest charges were laid in 2009, ultimately leading to a conviction on a majority verdict.

Samantha Knight

Michael Guider

Bondi, New South Wales

August 19, 1986

August 28, 2002

A nine-year-old girl abducted from her home. Guider, a pedophile who drugged his victims with Temazepam before molesting them, pleaded guilty to her manslaughter when he was already behind bars for other crimes. According to Guider, Knight never recovered after being drugged, and he later buried, dug up and re-buried her body in two different Sydney locations to evade suspicion. It is believed that the body was ultimately removed or destroyed during the construction of a carpark.

Carel Gottgens

Patricia Byers

Brisbane

July 6, 1990

1999

Gottgens disappeared while planning to leave Byers, who had forged documents to fraudulently take possession of his assets after his disappearance. Police did not become suspicious until Byers attempted to murder another partner in 1993. Byers maintained her innocence for years, but eventually confessed to murdering Gottgens in 2016.[4]

This is just a small sample.. it does not include Paul Wilkinson, who will never admit to murdering Kylie Labouchardiere, it pleases him to make her family suffer..

A missing body is not a one off thing in Australia.. not that it is common, but it happens, and when it happens it makes for some very clever work by police and scientists and lawyers to see justice is done. Stephenson is not unique, or unusual, at all. He is a type. All these killers had terrific hurdles to overcome to attain their goal of a clueless murder, but they all ALL slipped up, and the missing body / bodies, in the end did not prevent conviction.

 

[HoneyBunOne]

There has been thought made in her disappearance

Snipped by me. Not necessarily. There are endless possibilities around that location to hide or bury a body. I stand by my opinion of it being dumb luck. The police seem very interested in the Enfield State Park, which is 4,400-hectares. (Nearly 17 square miles for our US friends - get on board with metric already! ) I don't doubt she could be in there somewhere, but a lack of very specific footage or data could be the reason why police have not been able to find her as yet. Or she could be further afield, and not yet found for the same reasons.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

edited by me for focus...

the thing is, there is plenty of blokes, and a couple of women in prison as I keyboard here, serving a life sentence , who managed to hide the body, it has never been found to this day, and a lot of them were higher than an elephants eye on god alone knows what, Bradley John Murdoch is proud of his capacity to ingest rubbish, he does not remember even beginning his trek down the Tanami and no one has found Peter Falconio's body to this day.

8, 2016 (Dubois), May 26, 2017 (O'Dempsey)

Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters disappeared from their home in Brisbane in 1974, in what became one of Australia's oldest cold cases. Criminals Vincent O'Dempsey and Garry Dubois were charged with their murders in 1980 but avoided conviction. Years later, both men were charged again and convicted after it came to light that they had boasted of murdering the victims and burying their bodies in bushland. They were suspected to have targeted Barbara McCulkin to prevent her from talking about their role in nightclub bombing

Chris Dawson was convicted of murdering his wife, Lyn Dawson, in a judge-only trial. The prosecution's circumstantial case alleged Dawson murdered her to pursue a relationship with their babysitter, and the judge was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Lynette Dawson died "as a result of a conscious and voluntary act" by Chris Dawson.<>On 2 December 2022, Dawson was sentenced to 24 years in jail, with a non-parole period of 18 years.

Wark, a convicted rapist, abducted 17-year-old Hayley Dodd while she was walking near a property he owned in Badgingarra. A cold case review in 2015 led to evidence linking him to Dodd being found in Wark's car and he was convicted of killing her in 2018. He was given a second trial in 2021, but was convicted again. Again, No Body found.

orothy Davis, Kerry Whelan

Bruce Burrell

Sydney

May 30, 1995 – May 1997

2006

Two women who disappeared after leaving their homes to visit Burrell's wife, and boarding Burrell's car, respectively.

Tegan Lee Lane

Keli Lane

Auburn, NSW

September 12, 1996

December 10, 2010

After the mother attempted to adopt out a child in 1999, DOCS workers uncovered evidence of two previous children one of whom could not be located and notified police. After years of investigation and a coroner's inquest charges were laid in 2009, ultimately leading to a conviction on a majority verdict.

Samantha Knight

Michael Guider

Bondi, New South Wales

August 19, 1986

August 28, 2002

A nine-year-old girl abducted from her home. Guider, a pedophile who drugged his victims with Temazepam before molesting them, pleaded guilty to her manslaughter when he was already behind bars for other crimes. According to Guider, Knight never recovered after being drugged, and he later buried, dug up and re-buried her body in two different Sydney locations to evade suspicion. It is believed that the body was ultimately removed or destroyed during the construction of a carpark.

Carel Gottgens

Patricia Byers

Brisbane

July 6, 1990

1999

Gottgens disappeared while planning to leave Byers, who had forged documents to fraudulently take possession of his assets after his disappearance. Police did not become suspicious until Byers attempted to murder another partner in 1993. Byers maintained her innocence for years, but eventually confessed to murdering Gottgens in 2016.[4]

This is just a small sample.. it does not include Paul Wilkinson, who will never admit to murdering Kylie Labouchardiere, it pleases him to make her family suffer..

A missing body is not a one off thing in Australia.. not that it is common, but it happens, and when it happens it makes for some very clever work by police and scientists and lawyers to see justice is done. Stephenson is not unique, or unusual, at all. He is a type. All these killers had terrific hurdles to overcome to attain their goal of a clueless murder, but they all ALL slipped up, and the missing body / bodies, in the end did not prevent conviction.

Yes there are plenty around and most have a history attached or violent tendencies

We have a 22-year-old man, with a partner and we have not been told of any prior violence, concerning the public and being charged with

Children who are abused or humiliated may choose to abuse animals because they are easier targets, which is a sign
this hasn't been brought up either

The accused is pleading not guilty and is in the initial step in his long road to trial. He has not been found guilty yet in a court of law

 

[Trooper]

Yes there are plenty around and most have a history attached or violent tendencies

We have a 22-year-old man, with a partner and we have not been told of any prior violence, concerning the public and being charged with

Children who are abused or humiliated may choose to abuse animals because they are easier targets, which is a sign
this hasn't been brought up either

edited by me for brevity..

There is a very good reason why 'we have not been told' a darn thing about any prior violence , it is because out there , reading that , could be a member of the jury, so all that kind of stuff is closed to the public, along with any child crimes he may have committed, they are not allowed to be made public, it does not mean that he does not HAVE ANY PRIORS< it just means that all that kind of stuff is for the prosecutor, or even the defence perhaps to bring up in court, not in the press, for petes sake.. . bringing up any stuff he did as a child would immediately nullify any possibility of fair trial, which is why that kind of stuff is totally closed off to the public...

On the other hand, we know , conclusively, that he has a total disregard for the rules of the road, and a tendency to ignore warnings and prohibitions against driving, don't we.. we do know that, and that he drives drunk and drugged as well. So those four things we are allowed to know.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Snipped by me. Not necessarily. There are endless possibilities around that location to hide or bury a body. I stand by my opinion of it being dumb luck. The police seem very interested in the Enfield State Park, which is 4,400-hectares. (Nearly 17 square miles for our US friends - get on board with metric already! ) I don't doubt she could be in there somewhere, but a lack of very specific footage or data could be the reason why police have not been able to find her as yet. Or she could be further afield, and not yet found for the same reasons.

She could be anywhere. Police have searched Enfield State Forest, but the search was called off in September,
Police concluded the search and found no items of interest

I think that's probably one of the reasons why the police wound back the physical searches. Some of them could have been a ploy used, to make sure it got out to the media

She could be buried in someone's backyard

 

[Scooby-Doo]

edited by me for brevity..

There is a very good reason why 'we have not been told' a darn thing about any prior violence , it is because out there , reading that , could be a member of the jury, so all that kind of stuff is closed to the public, along with any child crimes he may have committed, they are not allowed to be made public, it does not mean that he does not HAVE ANY PRIORS< it just means that all that kind of stuff is for the prosecutor, or even the defence perhaps to bring up in court, not in the press, for petes sake.. . bringing up any stuff he did as a child would immediately nullify any possibility of fair trial, which is why that kind of stuff is totally closed off to the public...

On the other hand, we know , conclusively, that he has a total disregard for the rules of the road, and a tendency to ignore warnings and prohibitions against driving, don't we.. we do know that, and that he drives drunk and drugged as well. So those four things we are allowed to know.

I know all that stuff.

He has not been found guilty yet and we know next to nothing

He is supposedly recovering from some severe injuries, including a fractured pelvis, which would make lifting very hard

 

[BGirl88]

This is my theory too.

Allegedly
drunken but deliberate chasing a woman by car.
Like hunting a female for sick kicks.

JMO

My theory too, @Dotta

He could have videoed himself driving recklessly and shared with friends (he/his friends were silly enough to share images of themselves snorting lines of coke!)

 

[Rocket333]

He is supposedly recovering from some severe injuries, including a fractured pelvis, which would make lifting very hard

Maybe. He was also supposedly on his way out the door to work as a tradie when arrested, supposedly on a filmed “bender” the month before Samantha disappeared, supposedly at a relatives party (with his car supposedly parked in or near Elsworth Road) the night before Samantha disappeared, and supposedly photographed at a local rodeo the week after Samantha disappeared.
Maybe he was recovering and requiring check ups, and also not incapacitated.

 

[Rocket333]

Some of them could have been a ploy used, to make sure it got out to the media

Why would the police want to make sure things got out to media Scoobs?

 

[Scooby-Doo]

Why would the police want to make sure things got out to media Scoobs?

They have to actively search somewhere. Can't be seen to have given up looking.

They have made a public commitment to finding the body. They choose the search locations made at a fairly high level.

It could be based on intelligence received e.g. a tip-off, or it could be just chosen geographically, they feel the body could have been moved there quickly and easily without detection, or made it easy to conceal a body, harder to access or see.

They may be searching in locations we don't know about, or they may have staged searches as publicity stunts to surveil suspects or draw out potential witnesses.

The accused has now been charged- police will keep everything close to their chests, and won't make any further public comment about the case now

 

[Rocket333]

they may have staged searches as publicity stunts to surveil suspects or draw out potential witnesses.

How would staged searches draw out witnesses though? Like jog their minds?

police will keep everything close to their chests, and won't make any further public comment about the case now

They’ve already told us a few things like the “deliberate attack” and “not a hit and run” thing so why stop now? Why no further public comments now?

 

[Ron Jeremy]

They have to actively search somewhere. Can't be seen to have given up looking.

They have made a public commitment to finding the body. They choose the search locations made at a fairly high level.

It could be based on intelligence received e.g. a tip-off, or it could be just chosen geographically, they feel the body could have been moved there quickly and easily without detection, or made it easy to conceal a body, harder to access or see.

They may be searching in locations we don't know about, or they may have staged searches as publicity stunts to surveil suspects or draw out potential witnesses.

The accused has now been charged- police will keep everything close to their chests, and won't make any further public comment about the case now

I don’t believe anything search wise has been staged. Given the vast amount of CCTV, witness statements- maybe even phone data, I believe every search has been done logically as information has come to hand. Interstate resources ( specially trained dogs ) don’t get called in for no reason as well.

People in LE that I know and have spoken too ( not connected to this case ) are pretty adamant VICPOL have done their job properly - now it’s up to the prosecutors to prosecute and the defence to defend. Personally this would have to be one of the most intriguing cases I have seen in the last few decades - mostly due to the circumstances around it, the lack of information which as we know the police have done for good reason, and the soon to be revealed ( hopefully) advances in digital forensics.

After years of being an investigator in another industry - I’ll watch with interest the statements provided by motor vehicle investigators, data experts and likely even medical experts as to how this all falls into place. The facts will speak for themselves.

 

[Scooby-Doo]

I don’t believe anything search wise has been staged. Given the vast amount of CCTV, witness statements- maybe even phone data, I believe every search has been done logically as information has come to hand. Interstate resources ( specially trained dogs ) don’t get called in for no reason as well.

People in LE that I know and have spoken too ( not connected to this case ) are pretty adamant VICPOL have done their job properly - now it’s up to the prosecutors to prosecute and the defence to defend. Personally this would have to be one of the most intriguing cases I have seen in the last few decades - mostly due to the circumstances around it, the lack of information which as we know the police have done for good reason, and the soon to be revealed ( hopefully) advances in digital forensics.

After years of being an investigator in another industry - I’ll watch with interest the statements provided by motor vehicle investigators, data experts and likely even medical experts as to how this all falls into place. The facts will speak for themselves.

I wouldn't be getting hung up on the "volume" of evidence.

Convictions are based on the quality of evidence, not quantity.
Hours and hours of CCTV footage from multiple cameras, pages, and pages of phone pings do not prove anything unless they can be indisputably linked to the prosecution's theory or account of events.

On the other hand, a single frame captured or a couple of isolated phone pings may on their own be enough to prove guilt.

An observed unprecedentedly large volume of evidence (and it is yet to be determined whether such evidence will be presented by the prosecution, and is deemed admissible) indicates (to me at least) that maybe the police and prosecution do not have one killer "silver bullet" piece of evidence, and therefore their case may not be as strong as others believe it to be.

The police put strategies in place, we aren't privy to what the police are doing or have done